Final Fantasy:: Sins and Tragedy
by Phantom Boogie
Summary: Cloud still can't let down Aerith's death and the group really needs him. Sephiroth has returned and they can't fight this battle alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Final Fantasy**

Promises

Chapter One

_The Promised Land was the Ancient's dream and the Cetra's wish. The Promise Land was what Sephiroth wanted to take and we fought together to stop him. You and I together went against the greatest evil in hopes that the world would be saved. Inside I pretended not to care about the planet, Avalanche or anything but myself; I lied to myself. You had taught me I should care, and that I should fight for the greater good. A sword is not to just kill but to save. I am going to step up to realize your wish and wash away all the sins that have plagued me all these years. Hopefully, in the end, you will be able to forgive me. _

The journey of the planet started because of Shinra. The dangerous poison of Mako was slowly wounding the planet. Shinra even made soldiers using the Mako as a drug to make them stronger, to make them ultimate weapons. Sephiroth was the first one of Shinra's greatest accomplishments, but also a great disaster. Because of Sephiroth, President Shinra was destroyed along with the business building itself leaving his son Rufus in charge. The old Shinra building lays in the ruins of Midgar clouded in thick smoke, and a stench of death. Blood had been spilled their of many, the floors are painted red with spilled innocence, and the data of all Shinra lays buried in the heaps of stone and metal. Sephiroth was born here as the greatest warrior, it was his home, and he destroyed it for one so reason, to collect Jenova's head. Jenova was called "Mother" and with Jenova Sephiroth would travel to the Promise Land. Although, there is one this he needed first.

The feeling of losing something is horrible. It tugs at your heart and causes such an ache it is unbearable and only death seems to be your necessary answer. These are feelings that well inside when you lose someone you love. When one thing that feels so enormous you just burst. The feeling of a love lost than found. A feeling of regret and guilt of knowing you couldn't have done anything to stop it.

_Cloud._ The voice was barely a whisper as a small cry came from the soft lips. Blood spilled out through the cracks of the teeth as the sound almost of a squish came as the blade pushed further through bone and flesh. The cracking and breaking came as it passed through the ribs and then a rip came as it cut through the front of the fabric that covered the outside of the stomach. The crimson blood came down in waves painting the ground beneath with tiny droplets. _I am so sorry it wasn't supposed to happen this way. We were supposed to have a happy ending. _Through all the pain the brightness of a smile could show through. _I don't blame you Cloud. Not once. Thank you for everything you have done. _

The body was pushed down with the pressure of a leg pressing the body towards the floor and blood squirted out from the back as the sword was released from the casket it had been stuck through. The body that once had been filled with life and a beating heart was now a lifeless corpse the soul gone from it. Still even in death she was beautiful. Her brown mocha colored hair was pulled from its tie letting the curls swarm around the face in little streams, the eyes were staring forward gone out from focus the green orbs gone almost colorless, and the pink virginal dress was now stained red with sin of the kill. She didn't deserve this, but it was what _he _had to do to get what he wanted.

_Have I taken something dear to you Cloud? _The voice was deep as a rolling thunder taunting and poking at the deepest depths beneath him. _Is your heart bursting and breaking; is everything you loved taken away once more? Have I soiled your life just I did when I killed your home and your mother? Does life once again seem meaningless?_ Those eyes filled with Mako stared right through the shadows the jade gaze piercing right through the heart making everything seem almost miniscule. _Tell me what else is dear to you Cloud. Give me the pleasure of taking it away. _

_Give me the pleasure of taking it away. _The phrase repeated over and over again until Cloud just couldn't bear it. Sephiroth's face kept beaming into his mind the smirk on his face tore at Cloud. Again and again he said the same thing until finally he snapped. "Shut up!" His body sat up and his hand gripped at his sword the heavy still blade lifted up and pointed forward. "You don't understand… there isn't one thing that isn't dear to me anymore…" Cloud still could not forget that night of Aerith's death in Coral. Cloud just blamed himself countless times not letting himself let go of that night when his beloved had died and passed away. _Aerith I am sorry. _

"Cloud is everything all right? You have been in your room for days since-"

"Tifa, I don't want to talk about it." Cloud kept staring forward his blue eyes staring hard at his hands as the clutched the bed sheets. A frown was tight on his lips as he kept thinking about that split moment when Aerith was impaled by the Masamune's strength.

"Cloud how come you don't ask for our help. You think you have it so damn hard!" the bed seemed to dip as Tifa sat down setting her hand on his the cool, long, slender fingers weaving along with his own. "You need to take everything in, here and now and realize you have friends. I know what Aerith meant to you, but staying locked up in here won't solve anything. If that memory is still haunting you something must be up. Maybe he is… back."

His eyes flashed towards her pulling his hand away. "No he can't be back. Sephiroth was destroyed… we killed him in the life stream. He can't come back… once your dead your dead." Cloud refused to let the thought of Sephiroth being alive settle within him. "Dead, he is dead and gone!"

"I know! Still we need to think about if he is really gone! Maybe he isn't! Cloud if he isn't dead innocent people will die!" Tifa put a hand to her heart squeezing at it almost. "We can't let that happen!"

"We there is no 'we' anymore Tifa! Aerith is dead! With out her we can't do it… I can't do it."

Tifa bit down on her bottom lip and she just turned away her chocolate dark hair pooling around her as she squeezed her hands in tight balls until the knuckles went white. They shook slightly wiggling back and forth the nails dug into the leather of the gloves. "You are such an idiot Cloud. Once one bad thing happens you just forget about everything else. What about our promise Cloud? Does that mean anything to you?"

"Tifa I am not a hero, I cannot protect anyone. Not you, not me, not anyone; you should know that. I don't have any strength left so go find someone else." He whispered turning his face away from hers. Cloud just couldn't take another loss, not like Aerith. All he wanted to do was hide away from the world in hopes that nothing would happen like that again. If he weren't there he wouldn't be the cause. At least that is what he hoped to be true.

"Fine Cloud." Tifa's voice seemed to shake as crystalline tears came down her doll like face. "You stay here locked up within yourself because even I can't save you now. When all of us are gone I hope you remember what he had fought so hard for… then maybe you can finish it at when we are dead."

"Yo, Tifa, where is that spiky ass anyway?" Barret was sitting in the far corner of the bar shining his gun arm with a stained white cloth. "Is he still in there down in the dumps? We are all angry and beaten up about what happened, but come on, one can only sulk for so long!"

"Barret he doesn't care anymore… this time we are going with out Cloud." Tifa's voice was shallow and cool as she walked behind the bar. She bent down pulling out an old bottle covered in dust. "All he cares about and is concerned with is Aerith… he loved her." She blew the dust off with a soft breath reading the label "Myers Whisky". It was good enough, so popping the cork she poured some of the mixture in a glass. "He is going to stay in this state tell he can wake up and see what's around him before he loses someone else."

"Tifa, don't you think that is a little rough?"

"Ya, ouch. I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of you." The small almost child like voice came from the far corner of the room. A small from wriggled around bent over as if she were looking for something as she rummaged around through some cupboards.

"Yuffie I don't hide it there either."

"Oh… heh…heh…" Yuffie stood straight itching the back of her skull looking over to Barret. "So should we go gather the rest of the team. I can find Vincent and Reeve along with Cait Sith."

"Good Idea, I will look for Cid and Red."

"Okay then I will get everything together here. Our only clue is Cloud's dreams and they all have to deal where Aerith has died and the Shinra building. When he told me this he said he could smell flames and blood… that could also mean we will need to go to my hometown. If you find Cid have him bring the new model of the Highwind we will need it." Tifa flicked her hair back leaning against the bar sipping her drink. "We have a lot of work cut out for us you know this right?"

"Yup, of course we do! Though it's no problem for a ninja of Wutai!" she said jumping up lifting a fist to the air. "Well I am heading out, see you in a week or so!" Tifa just smiled and waved as Yuffie ran from the building.

"I am heading to Tifa. You get the truck and things set up… get Cloud's ride up and running just incase… I have a feeling we will need the spiky ass soon." Barret turned then walked off leaving Tifa there alone with her drink.

_It looks like the battle against Sephiroth is starting all over again. I have a feeling though this is going to be a lot worse._


	2. Chapter 2

Tifa stood there, hands planted on her hips scanning everything she had done. The truck was intact filled with all the essentials, food, first aid supplies, and some spare weapons if they needed them. The wheels were changed and the weight of the vehicle was altered so they would move quicker. Then right next to the old blue Chevy was Cloud's steel black motorcycle. Seeing it there made Tifa somber and depressed. Cloud wouldn't come, he was too bent on Aerith and the dreams to even care about his friends. "Dilly dally shilly shally…" she whispered to herself before turning away heading back into the bar. She had hoped through the days of preparation Cloud would have awoken to his senses, but of course he didn't. Still he sat there in his room dwelling on lost memories of his past.

_Cloud._

"_Aerith? Is that you? Are you here with me right now? I wanted to tell you something, it is important?"_

_Why aren't you helping the others Cloud? They need you._

"_I can't help anyone. Aerith because of me you died, I could have done something but I did nothing. Sephiroth killed you and I-"_

_Cloud Tifa is going to leave._

"_Tifa?"_

_They all will if you don't get up soon._

"_Wait I wanted to know can sins be forgiven?"_

"_Aerith? Aerith are you there?"_

_Tell me what else is dear to you Cloud. Give me the pleasure of taking it away. _

"_Sephiroth!"_

_Cloud…_

"Aerith wait I will save you!" Cloud snapped up his hand reaching outward towards the door. "Another dream? Why do I keep having them… why does Sephiroth keep coming…" Cloud could still see his smirking face smiling at him his sword red with Aerith's blood. He had taken the most dearest thing to Cloud and he would never get it back, only in his dreams did he see here; that is where he wanted to stay. "Can sins… be forgiven Aerith…?"

"Cloud." A deep voice came from the shadows making Cloud start. "Get up." The tall languid figure came from the shadows his skin pale as ivory except for the red tinted eyes of animal lust. Vincent Valentine, a valuable member of Cloud's gang and a good friend as well. "It is time."

"Vincent, can you answer me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Can sins be forgiven?"

Vincent paused; turning towards the open window his eyes squinting as the sun shined turning the pupils small. "I have never tried."

"Never tried? Don't you ever want to be forgiven for everything you have ever done… to have someone just accept it and forgive who you are." Cloud's eyes were on his palms as if they were dirtied by Aerith's blood as if he blamed himself.

"I blame myself… I do not need to be forgiven. Lucreacia…I blame myself for that incident." Vincent had always been short and simple straight to the point never saying one word. "Cloud."

He was silent his eyes still searching glued looking for the flicker of life in them. "I can't go with you." He whispered slowly waiting for Vincent's steps to reside away from him along with the click of the door being shut. "I want to try, but it won't happen. Her blood is on my hands." He slowly laid back his eyes drifting. "I will have to find her in my dreams again…"

_Cloud I never blamed you. Not once._

"_I couldn't save you…"_

_Still you came back remember. You came and found me. I was happy._

"_You were dead…"_

_Dilly dally shilly shally._

"_Dilly dally shilly shally?"_

_Forgive and forget Cloud._

"_Are sins ever forgiven."_

_I believe so._

"_I am going to try okay Aerith?"_

_Good, Tifa and the others are waiting for you._

"_Right."_

Cloud's eyes slowly opened peering around the dark clouded room. Everything was silent besides the silent muffling of the group beneath talking mostly planning the means of action. "Aerith it looks like our fight was never over…" he whispered getting up his back cracking as he moved. "We will need to finish it then once and for all."

"I am glad to here you say that Cloud… I have been waiting." In the door way Tifa stood her face brightened with a smile as she stared at him. "I missed you Cloud. Let's go."


End file.
